Camel have around 50 years by now. I am a long time Camel fan. Give this band a hearing. For me their best albums/cds are "Moonmadnes", "Dust and Dreams", "Harbour of Tears", "Snow Goose" and the one that is maybe their most easy to hear "The Single Factor"....and for me, their second live album. They were (still are), a great, must see and hear, live band. Their original keyboard player, Peter Bardens, died some years ago and recorded several solo albums, that are really good.
Camel, like Caravan, has always been a band that never fails to put me in my "happy place". Now with everything going on, both bands are in heavy rotation in my apartment.
Never heard of this great prog band until I watched your 70’s prog band video! Went on Amazon and bought a bunch of their albums(cds), love them! Especially Mirage and Moonmadness
I dived into Camel through the "Music inspired by The Snow Goose", all those years ago. I understand the so many people prefer other albums, cause this one has very few vocals and no lyrics, but their playng is tremendous. Never stopped following them. The "I can see your house from here tour" in Lisbon is still one of the highlights of my life! Andy Latimer, Andy Ward, Colin Bass, Jan Schelhaas and the fantastic Kit Watkins (who remembers the sole band that dared to step on Gentle Giant's territoire, Happy the Man?). And my firstborn was two days...
Great stuff Pete, My fave is also mirage. If i start playing it, the cd can be played over and over for weeks. One of the truly great prog albums. This band should have been bigger. Andy H
They were unlucky, and Camel is perhaps the best band to ilustrate the Murphy's law: everytime in courts of law, nervous breakdowns and insanity, flightfright, even Andy's illness and uncapacity to play. Happily, Latimer is cured, at least to the step of playing again, although you can see he sits most of the time. Hang on, Andy, only someone so persistent like you could do it. Respect.
Camel & Caravan - essential listening for any prog fan, the Canterbury sound is so quintessentially English - that combination of folk and prog. Jethro Tull while not sounding the same combined the same elements to great effect.
Camel list, from favorite to least favorite: Moonmadness Mirage The Snow Goose Rain Dances I Can see Your House From Here Nude Rajaz Breathless A Nod And A Wink Camel Dust And Dreams Stationary Traveller Harbour Of Tears The Single Factor Camel had such strong albums, from 1973-81. They still had some good albums afterwards as well, but the albums they put out in their first 8 years were fantastic. Peter Barden's keyboard style often reminds me of Tony Banks. Beautiful stuff!
Like you said Camel doesn't sound like any other band. They are unique. I love how they can go from rock to prog, to softer bluesy stuff and then to a smooth, jazzy, atmospheric ballad with that beautiful saxophone.
1. Music inspired by the snow goose 2. Moonmadness 3. Mirage 4. Raindances 5. Camel 6. Rajaz 7. Breathless Honour mention: Nude! Great concept, great lineup. AMAZING BAND RIP Peter Bardens, one of my favourite keyboard player from that era Take care everyone!
2022 1. Moonmadness 2. Mirage 3. Music inspired by the snow goose 4. Camel 5. Raindances 6. Breathless 7. Nude 8. The single factor 9. rajaz 10. I can see your house from here 11. Stationary traveler 12. Harbour of tears 🐫🐪....Listening forever!
My wife Krystal and I are big Camel fans since we spent lots of time cruising the back roads of Michigan in the late 70s, while listening to prog music like Camel, UK, Yes, King Crimson, PFM, etc. I have all the studio albums from Camel and have nothing bad to say about any of them. After listening to Camel for over 40 years, I only recently have noticed that I'm drawn to the albums with Richard Sinclair singing and playing his fretless bass. All due respect to Doug Ferguson's bass contributions on the early albums, and ditto for the lead vocals from Andy Latimer and Pete Bardens (not to leave out Colin Bass and his vocal and bass work on later Camel, especially live recordings). It's just that I like that fretless bass and I like Richard Sinclair's distinctive voice. A personal taste thing. Krystal and I can put on our Camel collection and listen to random tunes all day long. There aren't many bands that we can listen to for hours and hours without needing to switch to something else. Another strange thing; I can't think of one "prog" friend who is a big Camel fan like my wife and myself.
Thanks for doing this Pete. They are a fine band, I love their Life at the Royal Albert Hall in 2019 with blind Pete Jones on the keyboards and who knows how many instrument
Thank you Pete for bringing up Camel. Probably my favorite group. I was hooked when Moonmadness was released. This is a band to immerse yourself in. Andy and Peter had a connection which was amazing. Never got to see them but the albums will be with us and glad to see that Andy Latimer is still performing.
My Camel story. I was at university in Canterbury in the 1990s. I loved Caravan. A girl lent me a compilation tape of a band called Camel. I listened to it and thought it was crap. 30 years later I give them another go and end up buying all their albums. I can't get enough of them and actually think they are better than Caravan. I can't believe I wasted 30 years of my live without Camel! In my opinion, the order of release is a pretty good way to rank the Camel albums. You might want to swap around one or two. The debut is probably not the best but I love it. Anyway, if you have never heard all these albums, you are in for a treat.
I can't believe I missed this ranking.Camel has been one of my favorite bands ever,and Latimer's guitar playing can be compared only to The Great David Gilmour. Thank you for this!
Thank you for doing this. I am a rabid Camel fan and it’s appalling how few people are aware of this band’s output….truly inspired playing and composing. Andy Latimer is a ferocious guitar player. Hopefully some of the fan base that subscribes to this channel will seek them out. If you’re a “prog” fan you owe it to yourself to listen to Camel.
I purchased a copy of The Snow Goose a while back and I was completely blown away at how complex and beautiful the songs were.
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Camel. One of the greatest prog bands ever! With their unique sound and their emphasys more in mood and emotion than in exhibitionism. I agree with your top 5 (not the order, but the albums), but not sure about the bottom of your list. Some of their last albums (90's) deserve better position (and most of their 80's are their weakests) My order would have been: 1. Moonmadness 2. The Snow Goose 3. Mirage 4. Rain Dances 5. Camel 6. Nude 7. A Nod and a Wink 8. Rajaz 9. I Can See Your House from Here 10. Dust and Dreams 11. Harbour of tears 12. Breathless 13. Stationary Traveller 14. The Single Factor Anyway, great analysis
The phrase 'classic underrated prog' (which I just made up BTW) was made for this band. Camel ... one of my favourite bands and have been since 1975 when I discovered them. For me, they have the planet's best guitarist in the brilliant Andy Latimer. My top 3 would be 1. Moonmadness 2. Snow Goose 3. Mirage But here's a thing ... I bought their album 'Dust and Dreams' about 10 years ago. I have to say, at the time I was a little unerwhelmed. Loved the track 'Go West' but little else. But then earlier this year I revisited the album. And I absolutely love it. Love it all. For me, the best album of theirs since 'Moonmadness' in 1976. ... and in your ranking, what album occupies the bottom spot ? 'Dust and Dreams'. Oh well, we can agree to disagree. Pete, thanks for ranking these beautiful albums.
Your order is fair enough, and your comments spot on, although it has to be Snow Goose for me. If you don't love Camel you don't love prog rock. However, if you don't love The Snow Goose you don't even like music. All of their output is sublime including the more recent stuff. You either love it instantly or it grows on you very quickly. After a few plays even the weaker tracks can soon become your favorite ones. Strictly for the prog rock connoisseur. tip: Highway to the Sun, is the most uplifting peace of music ever produced.
I loved the interplay of Andy Latimer and Peter Bardens. Without Bardens a critical element was missing and the band became Latimer's backing band. Their best period for me was with Richard Sinclair - I love the guys voice (with Caravan, Hatfield & the North, Caravan of Dreams) 1. Rain Dances 2. Mirage 3. Moonmadness 4. Breathless 5. Camel 6. Nude 7. I Can See Your House From Here 8. The Snow Goose (I like the Rhayader passages but the rest always left me cold) 9. The remaining 80's stuff 10. The 90's The 80's and 90's makes nice background music but nothing sticks especially. Mellow and dreamy stuff with some nice guitar work but I cannot really tell the albums apart. The counterpart to the guitar is missing and so are the highlights.
After two "regular" albums, Camel dared to release a third (TSG) with very few vocals and no lyrics. However, the playing is awesome, and the composition is top notch. However, Camel's best voice was undoubtfully Richard Sinclair's, reason enough to save a special place in my heart for "Rain dances" and "Breathless". And I dream of Andy Latimer having such a voice, wouldn't it be a totally different story?. But it wasn't ment to be. However, I marvel at the things Andy did with his "little" voice!
I really only know their 70's albums. I've heard some of the others, but never owned them or paid much attention, for some reason. So here we go with the ones I know/own: 7) The Snow Goose (This doesn't do much for me. Seems a bit aimless) 6) Camel 5) Moonmadness 4) Breathless (I was wary of the short songs originally, but ended up pleasantly surprised) 3) I Can See Your House From Here 2) Rain Dances 1) Mirage Thanks, Pete! I don't listen to these enough, but I dug them out (I have the vinyl LPs) and really enjoyed them. Still. Edit: It's a year after I posted this list - I now love "Snow Goose". Not sure what happened, but I'm happy that it did! "Mirage" & "Rain Dances" are still my favorite, but It would probably be #3 for me now.
MoonMadness is my favorite, My autographed LP has a camel in a spacesuit standing on the moon. Air and Lunar Sea are brilliant. Back in the late 70's our band used to gig with Lunar Sea. I met Andy Latimer back then in northern California. His girlfriend at the time lived in Sunnyvale and she was best friends with our guitarists uncles girlfriend. I remember shaking his hand and was floored by how long his fingers are. It was like he has an extra knuckle on each finger! He was very unassuming and very nice to us. We jammed on Lunar Sea. As a young bassist at the time, it was, and still is , one of my happiest musical experiences. Wonderful gentleman. Thanks for rating there albums. I agree with the bulk of your list. RNB
Yes, they were real gentlemen. After the gig in Lisbon (7-12-79) they went to the hotel, who disted about 300m from the Restelo Pavillion. There we found them., and they were having a drink and talking to the people in the bar. Andy had a Polaroid and took several selfies with some friends of mine who asked him. I regret not to have asked also. Nevertheless, in the absence of a picture with Andy, I still got the ticket. As for your nickname, I owned a Fireglo 4001 model, but was stupid enough to sell it, I thought my player's days were over. However, they were not, and I now have some basses, but, although they are pretty good and I love them, they have a common problem: they are no Rickenbacker! Not that they are the best basses in the world, far from it, but they are unique. Maybe I still bother to get a Jetglo. A friend of mine went to Madrid and came back with a 4003 Fireglow, Although he owns over a dozen basses, he told me that since he returned he always plays with the Fireglo. What about that? Greetings from Portugal.
@@joseandrade632 I still have my 1976 root beer colored 4001. I love the fretboard on the 4001. It sometimes feels like the bass is playing itself. When our band was touring from 1978 to 1984, I purchased a 1968 Hofner violin bass. The reason for that was the weight of the 4001. 5 hours a night 6 days a week got to be a bit much with 'Barney'. My name for the 4001. The Hofner is so much lighter and its bottom end came in real handy playing outdoor shows. I used to keep the 4001 on stage with the E string tuned down to D. I would use it on Squonk (Genesis) and a few other songs we performed that needed that lowered D note. This was way before the 5 string bass arrived on the scene. I still record with them. I am sorry you don't have your 4001 anymore. I am sure at the time Jose it must have been a very difficult to part with. Guitars are like our family members. I also have the full 2 octave Rickenbacker 360 (not the 3/4 length neck John Lennon played in the 1st half of the 60's). As well as the 360/12 twelve string. I love them all. Best wishes to you from the San Francisco Bay Area. RNB
I used to listen to a lot of Camel in late 90's, they were my favourite band at the time. It has changed since and I don't really listen to them any more, but I still have a soft spot for Stationary Traveller to this day. And Andy's weeping guitar in the self titled track still gives my goosebumps.
My first copy of Moonmadness had an illustration of the ever-familiar camel in a spacesuit standing on the Moon. One of my all-time favorite album covers.
Thanks for these videos. I bought Mirage when it came out based solely on the album cover. I got the US cover which was really cool artwork. When I got home and put it on, I was an instant Camel fan. My friends were never really into a lot of the bands I was. It’s nice to see people on here digging a lot of these bands that I’m still listening to.
My favourite band of my early teens, saw them live in Yeovil, Somerset on my 16th birthday with my best mate (RIP Pete) when they were debuting Snow Goose, my first gig so a landmark in my life, They went from playing a 400 seater in Somerset to playing the Royal Albert Hall in London in a month, Brilliant band, but agree Mirage is the one album I play the most 45 years later
Coming from Guildford, I’ve been a huge Camel fan from when they formed. In fact my older brother played with Ward and Ferguson before they teamed up with Latimer and Bardens to form Camel. Personally I prefer the original line up and material and I’ve seen them enough times but unfortunately Bardens passed, Ferguson and Ward are no longer with the band, but it’s great to see Latimer still keeping the Camel brand going.
My rank: 1 Mirage 2 Moonmadness 3 The Snow Goose 4 Rain Dances 5 Harbour of Tears 6 Breathless 7 I Can See Your House from Here 8 Nude 9 Stationary Traveller 10 Camel 11 Dust and Dreams 12 The Single Factor 13 Rajaz 14 A Nod and a Wink
The song "Rajaz" off the cd/album of the same name is just stellar. Fantastic arrangement, and Latimer on slide guitar. If you are a Camel fan, that song deserves a listen.
HI i am 68 and only discovered Camel a decade ago! a cruelly underrated band,that had it all good songs,awesome singing and playing they had it all! makes me realise how music has regressed so much recently! nice job to recognise this great band Pete! Thanks
Hi Pete, so I have to say as a child of the 70's/80's I had never heard Camel's music before, even being a huge Genesis and Yes fan. Since I watched your ranking of the albums a few weeks ago I have fallen in love with Moonmadness. I think it is absolutely brilliant and something I've really needed to find this year. Chord Change is my favorite track! Really appreciate your rankings and all your videos! \m/
The top 3 are phenomenal. When i first heard them in 2006 my mind was blown with their creativity, cool themes and solid musicianship. Snow goose is probably my favorite album but Air Born and many on Mirage are stellar, Never Let Go, Unevenson...so many good ones. Their live set on Old Grey Whistle Test is on UA-cam, worth checking out. Great one Pete!
WOW! I've been waiting for this list for months! I agree in that Latimer's best guitar playing can be found in the later work. He's one of my favorite players.
I saw Camel 3 months before they released their first album. I was so impressed I pre-ordered the album so I would get it as soon as. Still my favourite followed by Snow Goose. Now just to say that is a great tee shirt from a great (in my humble opinion the greatest) prog rock band ever. I am jealous! Now that album I got by accident. I ordered a Genesis lp mail order and the vinyl inside the Genesis cover was 'In a Glass House'. I thought I'd play it before I sent it back. We never sent it back!
Brillant band. One of my top prog-rock bands of all time. And, as you said so well, a very original style. Love Andrew Latimer voice and guitar works. My top three albums are: Mirage (masterpiece), Moonmadness, and The Snow Goose.
The title track of Stationary Traveller is an absolutely amazing instrumental. One of my favourite pieces of guitar work in any album, not to mention the beautiful intro.
Pete, this is the ranking I've been waiting for!!! Don't forget to check out the re-recorded version of Snow Goose from 2013 or 2014.... it's one of the only 're-cordings' I can say I love just as much.... new parts to the songs that work, better sound quality overall. Also - I couldn't have said it better about the last 4 or 5 albums by them. Agreed! My only disagree is that Nude is way higher on my list, but I came to this band about 10 years ago, so I had no chronological release, just the order I got em. The new Bluray, and soon double CD from the Royal Albert Hall is phenomenal as well... cheers and thanks !!
I always love a Pete Pardo review but I would make a few points here. Camel should really be seen as three eras: 1 - up to where Peter Bardens and Doug Ferguson left the band (by that time Andy Ward was on a slow decline) ; 2 - After this point but before Andy Latimer got really sick; 3 - Everything after. I love the early stuff, Mirage and Moonmadness are sublime. But so too are many of the what I call intermediate, stage 2, ones. Harbour of Tears, and Rajaz are particular favourites of my stage three because they are so personal to Andy Latimer and that comes across. You simply can't compare them from a quality point of view. They are all brilliant. It simply comes down to personal taste and what mood one might be in when listening. FANTASTIC CHANNEL!
Such a great band, there's not an album I don't cherish for some reason. Apart from their 70s stuff, which in many ways embodies classic prog rock sound to me, I really dig their 90s records. Hopeless Anger, Coming of Age, Three Wishes, Lost and Found, Sahara, are among my favorite Camel songs.
For me, the ultimate Camel album is the instrumental album The Snowgoose. It's just my opinion but this band needed a strong lead vocalist, but oddly enough the vocals sound fine to me on their debut album, (a late discovery for me), So those are my two favorites. Both Moonmadness and Mirage would be perfect albums had the lead vocals been handled differently. This video does make me want to revisit Rain Dances and I Can See Your House from here. And thanks for reminding me that Mel Collins is on the Breathless album, I will have to check that out!
My Top 10 Favorite Camel Albums. 10. Rajaz 9. Stationary Traveler 8. Nude 7. I can see Your House from here 6. Rain Dances 5. Breathless 4. Snow Goose 3. Mirage 2. Moonmadness 1. Camel My Top 3 could change over Time.
A great band for sure. I'll have to pretty much agree with your take with the exception of Rajaz, which I would rank a few albums higher. Mirage is a truly fantastic album.
Camel is in my top 5 bands of all time. I think they as a band are often underrated, as well as each musician. And while my order would be a little different, I agree that all their albums are good.
Camel, like Gentle Giant, are one of those Prog acts who are rightly revered by aficionados of the genre, yet barely ever known outside of the sphere unlike Yes, Pink Floyd, Rush, Genesis and ELP. Great picks, Pete. Single Factor and Dust and Dreams very rarely get a replay in my house, but the rest do. Great discography and I remember how much Rajaz struck me with awe. I was not expecting that! Top 3, however, for me, would be 1. Moonmadness; 2. Mirage and 3. Breathless, though this is subject to change, with Rain Dances, The Snow Goose and Rajaz commonly placing top tier. Awesome channel, Pete. Keep carrying the torch for Prog!
The fact that you're featuring Camel, alone, is a huge plus for you, Pete. It shows that you don't mind trying out the great progressive artists that came out of the, all too short, period when many record companies were run by actual musicians. Good on ya, mate!
Saw Camel in Glasgow Apollo, on the Moonmadness tour, 1976. Very good live. Keep on rockin' Pete! Your shows have helped get me through the current situation and I'm sure, lots of others. I've kinda rediscovered my love of prog etc. By the way, my first gig was again at the Apollo, Jethro Tull, November 1974. Support, Danny. Not a bad opener. Anyway I'm rambling man! All the best. Alex
Hi again from CCS Vnzla, Camel is one of the favorite british prog bands. I think A live record is a pretty good live album, I love it. Thanks for your videos!!!!!
Great list, I find Harbour of Tears from the latter period underrated and the most beautiful to go along with your top 5. Those 6 are all I need - Debut, Mirage, Goose, Moon, Rain, and Harbour. GREAT BAND, no stinker albums actually all listenable.
Hard to argue, but I would put Nude up one. The re-recording of The Snow Goose is also excellent. Once heard some music as i walked out of Liverpool Lime Street railway station, walked in through the open doors at the back of the Liverpool Empire and stood by the stage as Camel did a full hour of a sound check. Went back later to the concert, probably 1982.
I have no complaints about this ranking. Mirage is my very favourite and the only one I have re-bought on CD so that I can listen to it in my (old) car. My second favourite is the first album (which has the best cover) but I'm not going to fight anyone about it. Then the Snowgoose (getting very into that as I attempt to play bits of it on guitar), then Moonmadness. So we are level on the top 4. Then basically, as you go older, the albums apparently become less interesting. I'd given up on prog by about 1981, so although i have all the albums up to I Can See Your House, I have heard nothing after that one. It doesn't seem as if I have missed out greatly. There is an awful lot of competition for my ears. So thanks very much for confirming what i have always thought. Love Camel - especially 1970s Camel.
Nice to see Camel being considered. I've loved the band since 'Snow Goose' and have pretty much everything including the videos. I agree with your point re: latest albums being difficult to access and being so overtly melancholic. I own them but have never played 'Dust & Dreams', 'Harbour of Tears, nor some of the others in their entirety as they leave me feeling depressed. I mean, watching Andrew Latimer doing some of his solos on video has me, literally, in tears. If ever there were an emotive player, he is the one. He is also one of the finest and most unsung of guitarists. Roger Waters auditioned him for his band but Latimer's voice didn't fit when it came to harmonies. Also worth noting that Latimer's health in the early 90s took a precipitous slide toward death, thus putting Camel on hiatus. After some years of recovery and a return from California to living back in the UK he once again started touring, though he still suffered numerous health-related challenges. The most recent Camel DVD is 2019 at the Royal Albert Hall. The band is currently a 4-piece with a blind keyboardist who also sings and plays sax. Very good! And Latimer's playing is even more emotional than ever. His facial expressions alone tell the story of someone with something to say. As for the albums, 'Raindances' and 'Breathless' are my tops, though 'I Can See You House from Here' is fun and 'Single Factor', 'Nude' and 'Stationary Traveller' have great tunes ('Sasquatch', 'Lies', 'Ice', 'Pressure Points'...) The period with Richard Sinclair on fretless bass and adding vocals with a fave era. With him in the band the music took on some new dimensions (Mel Collins's sax helped to) and a sort of 'Englishness' that elevated the band's appeal from soft prog to something quite unique. I will now watch your Camel tracks clip. Thank you.
Don't disagree with you on this and I appreciate your efforts in your dissertation. I have to tell you though, if we had more music DJing coming from colleges and universities, then many of these prog bands would have gotten more exposure, which they definitely deserve. This corporate DJing with the top 500 hits is just automated venture capitalism. You do a great job Pete. Much appreciated.
Pete- You have turned me on to Camel, Caravan, Marillion, Gentle Giant and early Genesis. How do you thank someone enough for that? I appreciate you very much and wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year my friend!!!
1) Mirage 2) The Snow Goose 3) Moonmadness 4) Camel 5) Rain Dances 6) I Can See Your House from Here 7) Breathless 8) Nude 9) Rajaz 10) A Nod and a Wink 11) Harbour of Tears 12) Dust and Dreams 13) Stationary Traveller 14) The Single Factor
1 Rain Dances 2 Mirage 3 Moonmadness 4 I Can See Your House From Here 5 A Nod & A Wink 6 Camel 7 The Snow Goose 8 Stationary Traveller 9 The Single Factor 10 Nude 11 Breathless 12 Harbour Of Tears 13 Rajaz 14 Dust And Dreams
Hearing Camel changed my life, as a guitar player that tone and melodic sense made me realise it is okay to be beautiful. Seen them live a few times and Andy Latimer is just about the most perfect lead guitar player. I know ex punks who well up when they hear him.
Mirage, Moonmadness and Snow Goose are special albums, the one I like best is usually the most recent listen, but if I had to rank them: Mirage Supertwister, Nimrodel/Procession/White Rider are marvelous. Moonmadness Chord Change is one of the greatest pieces of music I have ever heard. Snow Goose Beautiful album with some of Andy's best guitar. Breathless The Sleeper is Brilliant. Not a big fan of the rest of the studio albums. "A Live Record" is a mostly great live album. Saw them in a small venue,probably 78 or 79, I feel lucky to have seen them when they were still in top form.
As a big fan of Camel, I wouldn’t complain at your rankings at all, except in one respect. I didn’t get into the Camel pack until ‘79, so I’ve always had a soft spot for I Can See Your House from here. Any recording that includes Wait (those dueling Moogs from Kit Watkins and Jan Schelhaas), Hymn to Her (that head motif and its development is beautiful beyond words), and the monumental Ice (which, strangely, Pete didn’t mention) deserves a higher ranking in the canon. Perhaps it’s stylistically uneven, but I’d place it above Nude and probably Breathless.
It's as though you looked at my play list of Camel albums with one exception which is Nude, other than that you nailed it. The first 3... maybe 5 albums are their best, though I wouldn't want to get rid of any of them. You are absolutely correct about Peter being an important component of Camel and after he left I would say things changed, not for the bad, but changed for the different. My point is, I prefer the older albums over the newer ones and the line seems to be after Pete left. IF... I had to get rid of some, my choice would be "Never Let Go" of any up to Single Factor and after that they could go away (not without a fight though). Yeah... I love my Camel!!!
Great show Pete. One of my all time fav bands. Andy Latimer has that same quality that David Gilmour has: he plays 2 bars and you know it’s him; instantly recognizable! Best albums for me are 1) Mirage 2) Snow Goose 3) Moonmadness 4) Camel. But I like the later stuff too, esp. Rajazz and A Nod And A Wink. In fact, they have never released a real dud. BTW, would love to hear your lists for Renaissance, Van der Graaf, Caravan and Strawbs.
Peter Bardens has got to be the most underrated keyboardist in rock music.
RIP Peter Bardens
Never even heard of Camel before. Listening to Mirage right now and loving it. This is why I love this chanel.
Welcome to Camel. Great, great band.
try moonmadness
@@scrpnvmbr One of their best!
I think Mirage is there best,
Camel have around 50 years by now. I am a long time Camel fan. Give this band a hearing. For me their best albums/cds are "Moonmadnes", "Dust and Dreams", "Harbour of Tears", "Snow Goose" and the one that is maybe their most easy to hear "The Single Factor"....and for me, their second live album. They were (still are), a great, must see and hear, live band. Their original keyboard player, Peter Bardens, died some years ago and recorded several solo albums, that are really good.
Camel, like Caravan, has always been a band that never fails to put me in my "happy place". Now with everything going on, both bands are in heavy rotation in my apartment.
Sean Schmidt I feel the same way 💕
When they had Richard & Dave Sinclair + Jan Schelhaas in the band they called themselves 'Caramel' as a joke.
hey, me too
I could never get into Caravan much. Some good stuff, but just mostly doesn't work for me
Never heard of this great prog band until I watched your 70’s prog band video! Went on Amazon and bought a bunch of their albums(cds), love them! Especially Mirage and Moonmadness
I dived into Camel through the "Music inspired by The Snow Goose", all those years ago. I understand the so many people prefer other albums, cause this one has very few vocals and no lyrics, but their playng is tremendous. Never stopped following them. The "I can see your house from here tour" in Lisbon is still one of the highlights of my life! Andy Latimer, Andy Ward, Colin Bass, Jan Schelhaas and the fantastic Kit Watkins (who remembers the sole band that dared to step on Gentle Giant's territoire, Happy the Man?). And my firstborn was two days...
Jose Andrade Just bought a Happy the Man best of cd. Different but I like it! I tried getting into Gentle Giant ,I just don’t like them. Peace!
@curtharvilla958
I too have tried desperately to enjoy Gentle Giant ... but I just do it, even though I love plenty of prog bands
Moonmadness is one of my fav prog albums ever. Thank you Pete.
Great stuff Pete,
My fave is also mirage. If i start playing it, the cd can be played over and over for weeks. One of the truly great prog albums. This band should have been bigger.
Andy H
They were unlucky, and Camel is perhaps the best band to ilustrate the Murphy's law: everytime in courts of law, nervous breakdowns and insanity, flightfright, even Andy's illness and uncapacity to play. Happily, Latimer is cured, at least to the step of playing again, although you can see he sits most of the time. Hang on, Andy, only someone so persistent like you could do it. Respect.
Love your Gentle Giant shirt!!🎤🎸🎵🥁
Fantastic band, My top 5::
Moonmadness
Breathless (very underrated album in my opinion)
Mirage
Rain dances
The snow goose
One of my all time fave bands. My list would be quite a bit different though. Thanks for featuring these guys.
Camel & Caravan - essential listening for any prog fan, the Canterbury sound is so quintessentially English - that combination of folk and prog. Jethro Tull while not sounding the same combined the same elements to great effect.
Though some Caravan players joined Camel, Camel is not a Canterbury Scene band.
The greatest band ever and Andy up there with the bat guitarists. Dust and Dreams is an amazing album.
This. A true masterpiece!
Camel list, from favorite to least favorite:
Moonmadness
Mirage
The Snow Goose
Rain Dances
I Can see Your House From Here
Nude
Rajaz
Breathless
A Nod And A Wink
Camel
Dust And Dreams
Stationary Traveller
Harbour Of Tears
The Single Factor
Camel had such strong albums, from 1973-81. They still had some good albums afterwards as well, but the albums they put out in their first 8 years were fantastic. Peter Barden's keyboard style often reminds me of Tony Banks. Beautiful stuff!
I love Rain Dances
I Can See Your House is fan-fucking-tastic too. Absolutely.. no no absolutely super love that one. Good on you friend
Never thought of it that way but come to think of it.. yeah
Like you said Camel doesn't sound like any other band. They are unique. I love how they can go from rock to prog, to softer bluesy stuff and then to a smooth, jazzy, atmospheric ballad with that beautiful saxophone.
The sound like Caravan indeed Camel 🐪 rises from the ashes of Caravan with Sinclair , ❤both of them
Probably my favorite band of all time. Thanks for covering this.
1. Music inspired by the snow goose
2. Moonmadness
3. Mirage
4. Raindances
5. Camel
6. Rajaz
7. Breathless
Honour mention: Nude! Great concept, great lineup. AMAZING BAND
RIP Peter Bardens, one of my favourite keyboard player from that era
Take care everyone!
2022
1. Moonmadness
2. Mirage
3. Music inspired by the snow goose
4. Camel
5. Raindances
6. Breathless
7. Nude
8. The single factor
9. rajaz
10. I can see your house from here
11. Stationary traveler
12. Harbour of tears
🐫🐪....Listening forever!
My wife Krystal and I are big Camel fans since we spent lots of time cruising the back roads of Michigan in the late 70s, while listening to prog music like Camel, UK, Yes, King Crimson, PFM, etc. I have all the studio albums from Camel and have nothing bad to say about any of them. After listening to Camel for over 40 years, I only recently have noticed that I'm drawn to the albums with Richard Sinclair singing and playing his fretless bass. All due respect to Doug Ferguson's bass contributions on the early albums, and ditto for the lead vocals from Andy Latimer and Pete Bardens (not to leave out Colin Bass and his vocal and bass work on later Camel, especially live recordings). It's just that I like that fretless bass and I like Richard Sinclair's distinctive voice. A personal taste thing. Krystal and I can put on our Camel collection and listen to random tunes all day long. There aren't many bands that we can listen to for hours and hours without needing to switch to something else. Another strange thing; I can't think of one "prog" friend who is a big Camel fan like my wife and myself.
Great ranking Pete! Hopefully Van der Graaf Generator is next?
Thanks for doing this Pete. They are a fine band, I love their Life at the Royal Albert Hall in 2019 with blind Pete Jones on the keyboards and who knows how many instrument
Thank you Pete for bringing up Camel. Probably my favorite group. I was hooked when Moonmadness was released. This is a band to immerse yourself in. Andy and Peter had a connection which was amazing. Never got to see them but the albums will be with us and glad to see that Andy Latimer is still performing.
Always loved Camel. First album is my favourite. Tons of character and great playing.
I love the band Camel!! Thank you so much for your ranking Camel.🎤🎸🎵🥁
My Camel story. I was at university in Canterbury in the 1990s. I loved Caravan. A girl lent me a compilation tape of a band called Camel. I listened to it and thought it was crap. 30 years later I give them another go and end up buying all their albums. I can't get enough of them and actually think they are better than Caravan. I can't believe I wasted 30 years of my live without Camel! In my opinion, the order of release is a pretty good way to rank the Camel albums. You might want to swap around one or two. The debut is probably not the best but I love it. Anyway, if you have never heard all these albums, you are in for a treat.
Awesome stuff! I'd love to hear your take on Renaissance!
I can't believe I missed this ranking.Camel has been one of my favorite bands ever,and Latimer's guitar playing can be compared only to The Great David Gilmour. Thank you for this!
'Harbour of tears' and 'Rajaz' are my favourites. Thanks for the review Pete.👍
Thank you for doing this. I am a rabid Camel fan and it’s appalling how few people are aware of this band’s output….truly inspired playing and composing. Andy Latimer is a ferocious guitar player. Hopefully some of the fan base that subscribes to this channel will seek them out. If you’re a “prog” fan you owe it to yourself to listen to Camel.
Absolutely love this band.Thanks to you Pete for your great shows.sobmuch inspiration.
I purchased a copy of The Snow Goose a while back and I was completely blown away at how complex and beautiful the songs were.
Camel. One of the greatest prog bands ever! With their unique sound and their emphasys more in mood and emotion than in exhibitionism.
I agree with your top 5 (not the order, but the albums), but not sure about the bottom of your list. Some of their last albums (90's) deserve better position (and most of their 80's are their weakests)
My order would have been:
1. Moonmadness
2. The Snow Goose
3. Mirage
4. Rain Dances
5. Camel
6. Nude
7. A Nod and a Wink
8. Rajaz
9. I Can See Your House from Here
10. Dust and Dreams
11. Harbour of tears
12. Breathless
13. Stationary Traveller
14. The Single Factor
Anyway, great analysis
Thanks Pete, great to see someone that appreciates fine art!
Moonmadness
Mirage
The Snow Goose
Camel
All timeless!
Love prog. love camel. I admire your knowledge and enthusiasm. How do you find time to listen to all this music 😂🎸
The phrase 'classic underrated prog' (which I just made up BTW) was made for this band. Camel ... one of my favourite bands and have been since 1975 when I discovered them.
For me, they have the planet's best guitarist in the brilliant Andy Latimer. My top 3 would be
1. Moonmadness
2. Snow Goose
3. Mirage
But here's a thing ... I bought their album 'Dust and Dreams' about 10 years ago. I have to say, at the time I was a little unerwhelmed. Loved the track 'Go West' but little else. But then earlier this year I revisited the album. And I absolutely love it. Love it all. For me, the best album of theirs since 'Moonmadness' in 1976.
... and in your ranking, what album occupies the bottom spot ? 'Dust and Dreams'. Oh well, we can agree to disagree.
Pete, thanks for ranking these beautiful albums.
Your order is fair enough, and your comments spot on, although it has to be Snow Goose for me.
If you don't love Camel you don't love prog rock. However, if you don't love The Snow Goose you don't even like music.
All of their output is sublime including the more recent stuff. You either love it instantly or it grows on you very quickly. After a few plays even the weaker tracks can soon become your favorite ones.
Strictly for the prog rock connoisseur.
tip: Highway to the Sun, is the most uplifting peace of music ever produced.
I loved the interplay of Andy Latimer and Peter Bardens. Without Bardens a critical element was missing and the band became Latimer's backing band. Their best period for me was with Richard Sinclair - I love the guys voice (with Caravan, Hatfield & the North, Caravan of Dreams)
1. Rain Dances
2. Mirage
3. Moonmadness
4. Breathless
5. Camel
6. Nude
7. I Can See Your House From Here
8. The Snow Goose (I like the Rhayader passages but the rest always left me cold)
9. The remaining 80's stuff
10. The 90's
The 80's and 90's makes nice background music but nothing sticks especially. Mellow and dreamy stuff with some nice guitar work but I cannot really tell the albums apart. The counterpart to the guitar is missing and so are the highlights.
I agree with you regarding The Snow Goose album
After two "regular" albums, Camel dared to release a third (TSG) with very few vocals and no lyrics. However, the playing is awesome, and the composition is top notch. However, Camel's best voice was undoubtfully Richard Sinclair's, reason enough to save a special place in my heart for "Rain dances" and "Breathless". And I dream of Andy Latimer having such a voice, wouldn't it be a totally different story?. But it wasn't ment to be. However, I marvel at the things Andy did with his "little" voice!
I really only know their 70's albums. I've heard some of the others, but never owned them or paid much attention, for some reason. So here we go with the ones I know/own:
7) The Snow Goose (This doesn't do much for me. Seems a bit aimless)
6) Camel
5) Moonmadness
4) Breathless (I was wary of the short songs originally, but ended up pleasantly surprised)
3) I Can See Your House From Here
2) Rain Dances
1) Mirage
Thanks, Pete! I don't listen to these enough, but I dug them out (I have the vinyl LPs) and really enjoyed them. Still.
Edit: It's a year after I posted this list - I now love "Snow Goose". Not sure what happened, but I'm happy that it did! "Mirage" & "Rain Dances" are still my favorite, but It would probably be #3 for me now.
Great stuff Pete. One of my fave bands, saw them several times in the mid 70s. Just beautiful.
I love the Canterbury style Prog bands. And Caravan and Camel my faves...
MoonMadness is my favorite, My autographed LP has a camel in a spacesuit standing on the moon. Air and Lunar Sea are brilliant. Back in the late 70's our band used to gig with Lunar Sea. I met Andy Latimer back then in northern California. His girlfriend at the time lived in Sunnyvale and she was best friends with our guitarists uncles girlfriend. I remember shaking his hand and was floored by how long his fingers are. It was like he has an extra knuckle on each finger! He was very unassuming and very nice to us. We jammed on Lunar Sea. As a young bassist at the time, it was, and still is , one of my happiest musical experiences. Wonderful gentleman. Thanks for rating there albums. I agree with the bulk of your list. RNB
Rick N Backer ‘A camel in a spacesuit standing on the moon’ - you’d never guess they were a prog band, would you?!
Hahaha! Touche Patrick!! Fantastic album.
Yes, they were real gentlemen. After the gig in Lisbon (7-12-79) they went to the hotel, who disted about 300m from the Restelo Pavillion. There we found them., and they were having a drink and talking to the people in the bar. Andy had a Polaroid and took several selfies with some friends of mine who asked him. I regret not to have asked also. Nevertheless, in the absence of a picture with Andy, I still got the ticket. As for your nickname, I owned a Fireglo 4001 model, but was stupid enough to sell it, I thought my player's days were over. However, they were not, and I now have some basses, but, although they are pretty good and I love them, they have a common problem: they are no Rickenbacker! Not that they are the best basses in the world, far from it, but they are unique. Maybe I still bother to get a Jetglo. A friend of mine went to Madrid and came back with a 4003 Fireglow, Although he owns over a dozen basses, he told me that since he returned he always plays with the Fireglo. What about that? Greetings from Portugal.
@@joseandrade632 I still have my 1976 root beer colored 4001. I love the fretboard on the 4001. It sometimes feels like the bass is playing itself. When our band was touring from 1978 to 1984, I purchased a 1968 Hofner violin bass. The reason for that was the weight of the 4001. 5 hours a night 6 days a week got to be a bit much with 'Barney'. My name for the 4001. The Hofner is so much lighter and its bottom end came in real handy playing outdoor shows. I used to keep the 4001 on stage with the E string tuned down to D. I would use it on Squonk (Genesis) and a few other songs we performed that needed that lowered D note. This was way before the 5 string bass arrived on the scene. I still record with them. I am sorry you don't have your 4001 anymore. I am sure at the time Jose it must have been a very difficult to part with. Guitars are like our family members. I also have the full 2 octave Rickenbacker 360 (not the 3/4 length neck John Lennon played in the 1st half of the 60's). As well as the 360/12 twelve string. I love them all. Best wishes to you from the San Francisco Bay Area. RNB
I really like Camel's first album and would place it on my top 3 along with Mirage and Moonmadness.
yes it has some of there best songs which often is the case with debut albums
Good call! Savagely underrated.
I used to listen to a lot of Camel in late 90's, they were my favourite band at the time. It has changed since and I don't really listen to them any more, but I still have a soft spot for Stationary Traveller to this day. And Andy's weeping guitar in the self titled track still gives my goosebumps.
Camel outstanding music that stands up today
Rajaz is their most mature and best album in my opinion. Masterpiece.
Very underrated
My first copy of Moonmadness had an illustration of the ever-familiar camel in a spacesuit standing on the Moon. One of my all-time favorite album covers.
Thanks for these videos. I bought Mirage when it came out based solely on the album cover. I got the US cover which was really cool artwork. When I got home and put it on, I was an instant Camel fan. My friends were never really into a lot of the bands I was. It’s nice to see people on here digging a lot of these bands that I’m still listening to.
All CAMEL albums are number one!! TOP
My favourite band of my early teens, saw them live in Yeovil, Somerset on my 16th birthday with my best mate (RIP Pete) when they were debuting Snow Goose, my first gig so a landmark in my life,
They went from playing a 400 seater in Somerset to playing the Royal Albert Hall in London in a month, Brilliant band, but agree Mirage is the one album I play the most 45 years later
Coming from Guildford, I’ve been a huge Camel fan from when they formed. In fact my older brother played with Ward and Ferguson before they teamed up with Latimer and Bardens to form Camel. Personally I prefer the original line up and material and I’ve seen them enough times but unfortunately Bardens passed, Ferguson and Ward are no longer with the band, but it’s great to see Latimer still keeping the Camel brand going.
Great band, which I've properly discovered this year. The instrumental track Skylines is incredible.
My rank:
1 Mirage
2 Moonmadness
3 The Snow Goose
4 Rain Dances
5 Harbour of Tears
6 Breathless
7 I Can See Your House from Here
8 Nude
9 Stationary Traveller
10 Camel
11 Dust and Dreams
12 The Single Factor
13 Rajaz
14 A Nod and a Wink
The song "Rajaz" off the cd/album of the same name is just stellar. Fantastic arrangement, and Latimer on slide guitar. If you are a Camel fan, that song deserves a listen.
HI i am 68 and only discovered Camel a decade ago! a cruelly underrated band,that had it all good songs,awesome singing and playing they had it all! makes me realise how music has regressed so much recently! nice job to recognise this great band Pete! Thanks
Hi Pete, so I have to say as a child of the 70's/80's I had never heard Camel's music before, even being a huge Genesis and Yes fan. Since I watched your ranking of the albums a few weeks ago I have fallen in love with Moonmadness. I think it is absolutely brilliant and something I've really needed to find this year. Chord Change is my favorite track!
Really appreciate your rankings and all your videos! \m/
Thanks for introducing this band to me Pete. Only have some of the early albums so far. 1)
Yeah Camel. Camel (absolute classic all great tracks), Raindances, Breathless, Moonmadness, Mirage, Snow Goose. Caravan and Focus please.
The top 3 are phenomenal. When i first heard them in 2006 my mind was blown with their creativity, cool themes and solid musicianship. Snow goose is probably my favorite album but Air Born and many on Mirage are stellar, Never Let Go, Unevenson...so many good ones. Their live set on Old Grey Whistle Test is on UA-cam, worth checking out. Great one Pete!
WOW! I've been waiting for this list for months! I agree in that Latimer's best guitar playing can be found in the later work. He's one of my favorite players.
I was listening to Moonmadness when the notification popped up. ;) Great work, Pete, as always. :D
I saw Camel 3 months before they released their first album. I was so impressed I pre-ordered the album so I would get it as soon as. Still my favourite followed by Snow Goose. Now just to say that is a great tee shirt from a great (in my humble opinion the greatest) prog rock band ever. I am jealous! Now that album I got by accident. I ordered a Genesis lp mail order and the vinyl inside the Genesis cover was 'In a Glass House'. I thought I'd play it before I sent it back. We never sent it back!
Brillant band. One of my top prog-rock bands of all time. And, as you said so well, a very original style.
Love Andrew Latimer voice and guitar works.
My top three albums are: Mirage (masterpiece), Moonmadness, and The Snow Goose.
Stationary traveller, the best album of the Progressive rock of the history.
The title track of Stationary Traveller is an absolutely amazing instrumental. One of my favourite pieces of guitar work in any album, not to mention the beautiful intro.
And Pressure Points.
That sums up my ranking also! Nice to see you choose Mirage as #1, most fans would go with either Moonmadness or Snow Goose.
My top-10:
1) Mirage (1)
2) The Snow Goose (2)
3) Moonmadness (3)
4) Breathless (6)
5) Camel (4)
6) Rain Dances (5)
7) Rajaz (12)
8) Nude (7)
9) Harbour of Tears (11)
10) Stationary Traveller (10)
MoonMadness, is my #1 so far. I just started listening to them recently.
Pete, this is the ranking I've been waiting for!!! Don't forget to check out the re-recorded version of Snow Goose from 2013 or 2014.... it's one of the only 're-cordings' I can say I love just as much.... new parts to the songs that work, better sound quality overall. Also - I couldn't have said it better about the last 4 or 5 albums by them. Agreed! My only disagree is that Nude is way higher on my list, but I came to this band about 10 years ago, so I had no chronological release, just the order I got em. The new Bluray, and soon double CD from the Royal Albert Hall is phenomenal as well... cheers and thanks !!
I always love a Pete Pardo review but I would make a few points here. Camel should really be seen as three eras: 1 - up to where Peter Bardens and Doug Ferguson left the band (by that time Andy Ward was on a slow decline) ; 2 - After this point but before Andy Latimer got really sick; 3 - Everything after. I love the early stuff, Mirage and Moonmadness are sublime. But so too are many of the what I call intermediate, stage 2, ones. Harbour of Tears, and Rajaz are particular favourites of my stage three because they are so personal to Andy Latimer and that comes across. You simply can't compare them from a quality point of view. They are all brilliant. It simply comes down to personal taste and what mood one might be in when listening. FANTASTIC CHANNEL!
Thanks a lot for this review! I have most of Camel and all of Pete Bardens albums. No mention of Ice!? You could make a Part 2
Such a great band, there's not an album I don't cherish for some reason. Apart from their 70s stuff, which in many ways embodies classic prog rock sound to me, I really dig their 90s records. Hopeless Anger, Coming of Age, Three Wishes, Lost and Found, Sahara, are among my favorite Camel songs.
I first discovered Camel about a year ago because of this channel. Thanks for all the great content!
Ha, Mirage and for me the number one album among Camel discs. Actually, only Mirage. It was very nice to hear this, thank you!
For me, the ultimate Camel album is the instrumental album The Snowgoose. It's just my opinion but this band needed a strong lead vocalist, but oddly enough the vocals sound fine to me on their debut album, (a late discovery for me), So those are my two favorites. Both Moonmadness and Mirage would be perfect albums had the lead vocals been handled differently. This video does make me want to revisit Rain Dances and I Can See Your House from here. And thanks for reminding me that Mel Collins is on the Breathless album, I will have to check that out!
My Top 10 Favorite Camel Albums.
10. Rajaz
9. Stationary Traveler
8. Nude
7. I can see Your House from here
6. Rain Dances
5. Breathless
4. Snow Goose
3. Mirage
2. Moonmadness
1. Camel
My Top 3 could change over Time.
A great band for sure. I'll have to pretty much agree with your take with the exception of Rajaz, which I would rank a few albums higher. Mirage is a truly fantastic album.
I agree, mirage #1. Got it when first released and still my fave. Love your show.
Camel is in my top 5 bands of all time. I think they as a band are often underrated, as well as each musician. And while my order would be a little different, I agree that all their albums are good.
Camel, like Gentle Giant, are one of those Prog acts who are rightly revered by aficionados of the genre, yet barely ever known outside of the sphere unlike Yes, Pink Floyd, Rush, Genesis and ELP. Great picks, Pete. Single Factor and Dust and Dreams very rarely get a replay in my house, but the rest do. Great discography and I remember how much Rajaz struck me with awe. I was not expecting that! Top 3, however, for me, would be 1. Moonmadness; 2. Mirage and 3. Breathless, though this is subject to change, with Rain Dances, The Snow Goose and Rajaz commonly placing top tier. Awesome channel, Pete. Keep carrying the torch for Prog!
My Top 5:
1. Mirage
2. Stationary Traveller
3. Camel
4. Harbour of tears
5. Breathless
I have loved this band from the first sound that I heard
The fact that you're featuring Camel, alone, is a huge plus for you, Pete. It shows that you don't mind trying out the great progressive artists that came out of the, all too short, period when many record companies were run by actual musicians. Good on ya, mate!
Saw Camel in Glasgow Apollo, on the Moonmadness tour, 1976. Very good live. Keep on rockin' Pete! Your shows have helped get me through the current situation and I'm sure, lots of others. I've kinda rediscovered my love of prog etc. By the way, my first gig was again at the Apollo, Jethro Tull, November 1974. Support, Danny. Not a bad opener. Anyway I'm rambling man! All the best.
Alex
That of course, should have read, Fanny!
Hi again from CCS Vnzla, Camel is one of the favorite british prog bands. I think A live record is a pretty good live album, I love it.
Thanks for your videos!!!!!
Great list, I find Harbour of Tears from the latter period underrated and the most beautiful to go along with your top 5. Those 6 are all I need - Debut, Mirage, Goose, Moon, Rain, and Harbour. GREAT BAND, no stinker albums actually all listenable.
Hard to argue, but I would put Nude up one. The re-recording of The Snow Goose is also excellent. Once heard some music as i walked out of Liverpool Lime Street railway station, walked in through the open doors at the back of the Liverpool Empire and stood by the stage as Camel did a full hour of a sound check. Went back later to the concert, probably 1982.
I’ve only listened to Mirage so far and it was great. I’m excited to hear the rest of the discography
I have no complaints about this ranking. Mirage is my very favourite and the only one I have re-bought on CD so that I can listen to it in my (old) car. My second favourite is the first album (which has the best cover) but I'm not going to fight anyone about it. Then the Snowgoose (getting very into that as I attempt to play bits of it on guitar), then Moonmadness. So we are level on the top 4. Then basically, as you go older, the albums apparently become less interesting. I'd given up on prog by about 1981, so although i have all the albums up to I Can See Your House, I have heard nothing after that one. It doesn't seem as if I have missed out greatly. There is an awful lot of competition for my ears. So thanks very much for confirming what i have always thought. Love Camel - especially 1970s Camel.
Nice to see Camel being considered. I've loved the band since 'Snow Goose' and have pretty much everything including the videos. I agree with your point re: latest albums being difficult to access and being so overtly melancholic. I own them but have never played 'Dust & Dreams', 'Harbour of Tears, nor some of the others in their entirety as they leave me feeling depressed. I mean, watching Andrew Latimer doing some of his solos on video has me, literally, in tears. If ever there were an emotive player, he is the one. He is also one of the finest and most unsung of guitarists. Roger Waters auditioned him for his band but Latimer's voice didn't fit when it came to harmonies. Also worth noting that Latimer's health in the early 90s took a precipitous slide toward death, thus putting Camel on hiatus. After some years of recovery and a return from California to living back in the UK he once again started touring, though he still suffered numerous health-related challenges. The most recent Camel DVD is 2019 at the Royal Albert Hall. The band is currently a 4-piece with a blind keyboardist who also sings and plays sax. Very good! And Latimer's playing is even more emotional than ever. His facial expressions alone tell the story of someone with something to say. As for the albums, 'Raindances' and 'Breathless' are my tops, though 'I Can See You House from Here' is fun and 'Single Factor', 'Nude' and 'Stationary Traveller' have great tunes ('Sasquatch', 'Lies', 'Ice', 'Pressure Points'...) The period with Richard Sinclair on fretless bass and adding vocals with a fave era. With him in the band the music took on some new dimensions (Mel Collins's sax helped to) and a sort of 'Englishness' that elevated the band's appeal from soft prog to something quite unique.
I will now watch your Camel tracks clip. Thank you.
Don't disagree with you on this and I appreciate your efforts in your dissertation. I have to tell you though, if we had more music DJing coming from colleges and universities, then many of these prog bands would have gotten more exposure, which they definitely deserve. This corporate DJing with the top 500 hits is just automated venture capitalism. You do a great job Pete. Much appreciated.
One of the finest Prog Bands ever. Like the debut album also Mirage the Snow Goose and Moonmadness. Stationary Traveller also.
Pete- You have turned me on to Camel, Caravan, Marillion, Gentle Giant and early Genesis. How do you thank someone enough for that? I appreciate you very much and wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year my friend!!!
You are the best. Thanks for the ranking.
1) Mirage
2) The Snow Goose
3) Moonmadness
4) Camel
5) Rain Dances
6) I Can See Your House from Here
7) Breathless
8) Nude
9) Rajaz
10) A Nod and a Wink
11) Harbour of Tears
12) Dust and Dreams
13) Stationary Traveller
14) The Single Factor
1 Rain Dances
2 Mirage
3 Moonmadness
4 I Can See Your House From Here
5 A Nod & A Wink
6 Camel
7 The Snow Goose
8 Stationary Traveller
9 The Single Factor
10 Nude
11 Breathless
12 Harbour Of Tears
13 Rajaz
14 Dust And Dreams
Seen them a couple of times in the 70’s really remember the, Leeds University gig best.
Hearing Camel changed my life, as a guitar player that tone and melodic sense made me realise it is okay to be beautiful. Seen them live a few times and Andy Latimer is just about the most perfect lead guitar player. I know ex punks who well up when they hear him.
Mirage, Moonmadness and Snow Goose are special albums, the one I like best is usually the most recent listen, but if I had to rank them:
Mirage Supertwister, Nimrodel/Procession/White Rider are marvelous.
Moonmadness Chord Change is one of the greatest pieces of music I have ever heard.
Snow Goose Beautiful album with some of Andy's best guitar.
Breathless The Sleeper is Brilliant.
Not a big fan of the rest of the studio albums.
"A Live Record" is a mostly great live album.
Saw them in a small venue,probably 78 or 79,
I feel lucky to have seen them when they were still in top form.
As a big fan of Camel, I wouldn’t complain at your rankings at all, except in one respect. I didn’t get into the Camel pack until ‘79, so I’ve always had a soft spot for I Can See Your House from here. Any recording that includes Wait (those dueling Moogs from Kit Watkins and Jan Schelhaas), Hymn to Her (that head motif and its development is beautiful beyond words), and the monumental Ice (which, strangely, Pete didn’t mention) deserves a higher ranking in the canon. Perhaps it’s stylistically uneven, but I’d place it above Nude and probably Breathless.
1 Mirage
2 Moonmadness
3 Camel
4 Snow Goose
5 Breathless
6 Rain Dances
It's as though you looked at my play list of Camel albums with one exception which is Nude, other than that you nailed it. The first 3... maybe 5 albums are their best, though I wouldn't want to get rid of any of them.
You are absolutely correct about Peter being an important component of Camel and after he left I would say things changed, not for the bad, but changed for the different.
My point is, I prefer the older albums over the newer ones and the line seems to be after Pete left. IF... I had to get rid of some, my choice would be "Never Let Go" of any up to Single Factor and after that they could go away (not without a fight though). Yeah... I love my Camel!!!
Though it took me 3 years to bump into your channel.... I have subscribed! Great job!!!
Rajaz.... their most emotive album and the guitar playing is spectacular!
Great show Pete. One of my all time fav bands. Andy Latimer has that same quality that David Gilmour has: he plays 2 bars and you know it’s him; instantly recognizable! Best albums for me are 1) Mirage 2) Snow Goose 3) Moonmadness 4) Camel. But I like the later stuff too, esp. Rajazz and A Nod And A Wink. In fact, they have never released a real dud. BTW, would love to hear your lists for Renaissance, Van der Graaf, Caravan and Strawbs.
As a teenager in the early 70's after a hard night of partying, coming home and listening to mirage was like coming home to an old friend.